Washington Wild, founded in 1979, has played an invaluable role in permanently protecting nearly three million acres of Wilderness throughout Washington State. We bring people together in the vigorous defense of our wild forests, waters, and wildlife. By educating, empowering, and mobilizing our communities, Washington Wild builds powerful grassroots networks to expand Wilderness protections and mobilize a citizen response in defense of our public lands and waters from special interests. We are committed to being an honest, bold, and collaborative voice to effectively protect and defend our wild lands and waters.

We are seeking a new full-time Associate Director of Development who is a rising development professional and is inspired by the opportunity to take our fundraising program to a more sophisticated level. This position reports to the Deputy Director and is responsible for directing the activities driving our contributed income streams.

Organization Culture:
Washington Wild offers a dynamic and forward-thinking work culture. Our staff and board share a great passion for our mission of defending, protecting and restoring wild lands and waters in Washington State through advocacy, education and civic engagement.

Our office environment is collaborative, inclusive, fun-spirited, and driven. Our staff values the open sharing of ideas, is generous in helping each other, and can accept constructive input. We deeply believe in the organization’s mission and to that end, we dream big, work hard, and exceed goals that we set for ourselves. Yet we also value a work/life balance because we like to recreate and rejuvenate. An ideal candidate will share these values.

Position Summary:
The Associate Director of Development is an excellent opportunity for someone who’s a natural leader, committed to building relationships, and has an entrepreneurial drive. This position will strategize, create, and implement a comprehensive fundraising program that will increase both engagement and financial support for the organization and its programs. Building this program will require a creative and collaborative spirit with a keen eye towards establishing measurable outcomes. This position will play a leadership role in engaging and cultivating relationships with new and existing individual donors, family foundations, and business partners.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to carry out each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required.

• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience fundraising in the nonprofit sector.
• A proven track record of successful donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Demonstrated experience planning and managing successful fundraising events.
• Commitment to building a strong culture of philanthropy within the staff and board that is expressed in all fundraising activities.
• Knowledge of and commitment to staying on top of industry best practices and trends.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to communicate professionally and effectively with donors, board members, partners, representatives from across the political spectrum, and the general public.
• Computer literacy including experience with CRM technology; we use Salsa DonorPro.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES (Other duties may be assigned as needed)

Managing Development Program and Staff Actions
• This position’s focus is on managing a comprehensive development program and strategy that engages both staff and board in its implementation.
• Build, deepen, and guide a culture of philanthropy within the organization.
• Lead annual planning process and regular team meetings.
• Proactively partner with organization leadership to review and assign staff to stewardship of individual major donors, businesses, and family foundations; check-in with staff regarding assignments and progress.

Organizational Leadership
• Provide coaching, guidance, and feedback to staff and board, with a practice of mentorship and respecting the skills, strengths, contributions, and challenges of individual team members.
• Staff the Board Development Committee and support each board member’s fundraising action plan and growth as an organizational ambassador.
• Serve as strategic thinking partner to executive leadership and board as requested.

Special Events
• The Annual Auction is an important opportunity to gather our supporters, celebrate our mission, and raise funds. Serve as the principal staff for planning and executing this event with logistics support from the Membership and Events Coordinator.
• All staff have responsibilities relating to the auction. Establish and manage the auction’s benchmark calendar to help staff and board fulfill their responsibilities in a timely manner.
• Lead major donor events as opportunities arise.

Administration & Operations
• Manage the development and events budgets and work with the Deputy Director to develop monthly reports.
• Institute and help manage accurate donor actions in database.
• Participate in database enhancement and troubleshooting with staff.
• Work with staff to integrate assessment and evaluation into development programs and initiatives.
• Work closely with Membership & Engagement Manager and Membership & Events Coordinator to ensure that overall development program functions smoothly.
• Contribute to staff-wide efforts to create consistent messaging for Washington Wild and promote our work through the website, social media, outreach materials and our partners.

This is a full-time position with an annual salary range up to $60,000 DOE. Benefits include monthly medical stipend, opportunity to join our retirement savings program with a 3% match, and vacation, holiday, and sick time off. Washington Wild offers a flexible work schedule.

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter and optional writing sample via email to [email protected]; no paper submissions. In your cover letter, please speak to how your skills, experience, and interests align with the goals and objectives of this position and Washington Wild.